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ZACH THEATRE ADVERTORIAL
Splashy, happy, tappy fun!
Inside scoop about renowned choreographer and dancer Dominique Kelley. Interview by Nicole Shiro
Singin' In The Rain is sponsored in part by Eric Copper of Austin Portfolio Real Estate.
You have an amazing career!
Tell readers about yourself
and your work.
• I went professional at age 12
in the Broadway musical
Black and Blue" and toured
Europe performing the tap
dance role that made
Savion Glover famous.
• At age 15, I was the youngest
cast member in the Broadway
hit, Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in
'Da Funk.
• I have danced in over 20
feature fi lms.
• I've choreographed for
Serena Williams, Taylor Swift,
Queen Latifah, Jennifer Holliday,
Chris Martin of Coldplay, and
Frank Ocean.
• I've danced on the Grammys,
Oscars, Golden Globes, and
Emmy Awards.
• I'm part of the Emmy-winning
choreography team for CW's
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
What inspired you to go
into the arts?
I saw a dance production
performed at my school, and I did
not blink for an hour and a half.
My mother, who was a special
needs music education teacher,
said she never saw me focus on
something so intently. I was
always active, tumbling and
playing sports; dance was the
only thing that kept me still.
When did you transition from
performer to choreographer?
I'm still actively performing and
choreographing. Thank God my
legs still work and people still want
to see them moving to the beat.
I don't believe that choreographers
truly ever stop dancing, they just
stop dancing in front of the public.
I intend to dance well into my 80's,
as other tap dancers have.
Which performance medium
do you most enjoy, TV, stage,
or fi lm?
Every medium has its perks.
I grow bored quickly, so I enjoy
being able to jump from one
medium to another. I am constant-
ly cross-pollinating. I like to
incorporate fi lm transitions into
live theater. I enjoy using a live
audience like a TV audience by
presenting diff erent angles of the
choreography, and the story from
diff erent vantage points.
Singin' in the Rain is an iconic
American movie musical. What
is your approach to creating
the choreography?
I like to be super-organic,
experimental, and hands-on with
the company in the rehearsal
studio. I come with choreography
set, but it often gets changed
when it is on the dancer's bodies.
Who is Singin' in the Rain for?
Singin' in the Rain is for everyone!
However, I like to choreograph for
people who think musical theater
is dumb. I'm not the biggest fan
of "musical theater." There are
elements of traditional musical
theater I fi nd contrite, passé,
rooted in one's ethnic experiences,
and hokey. With that said, I fi nd
honesty in the movement and the
stories. I like to produce work that
makes people go, "I don't really
enjoy musical theater, but some-
thing about this drew me in."
If I would enjoy watching it, then
I feel the husbands, begrudging
parents, and bored millennials
will enjoy it too. Audiences will
enjoy the nostalgic feeling of old
Hollywood, and the popular songs
that makes this musical a world-
wide phenomenon.
What do you love most about
ZACH and Austin audiences?
Honestly, ZACH is such a familial
and free space. No one tries to
change me, my process, or my
way of thinking. I am extremely
fortunate to fi nd this theater where
I can experiment and create in a
supportive environment. I love
how open and receptive the
audiences are at ZACH. They
are savvy audiences that do
not require anything being
spoon-fed to them. I can reference
other things, throw something
humorous in, or even throw in
a contemporary move. Chances
are, someone in the audience will
receive it, ingest it, and be aff ected
by it. And the thing I love most
about Austin is the food...
P. Terry's Burgers and Black's BBQ!
I intend to gorge myself as much
as possible!
"Singin' in the Rain has been
delighting and impressing
audiences across the globe for
decades. There is love, dance,
music, and rain...what could
there possibly be not to like
when all those scenarios are
interspersed?"
tickets.zachtheatre.org | 512-476-0541
Celebrating 85 Years of Art on Stage
Topfer Theatre Box Offi ce: 202 South Lamar, Austin, Texas 78704